Being my travels down those great two lane highways of this nation as well as news I learn about them from media sources. Since I'm also very interested in historic preservation, there will be a lot of that as well.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Bill's Pub in Mundelein, Illinois-- A Drive Through the Countryside-- Found the Library

BILL'S PUB

Last night, I attended Dave Clark's Route 66 presentation to an overflow crowd at the Fremont Library in Mundelein.

I met with some friends first at Bill's Pub in Mundelein. They've been serving up some great pizza since the 1950s and were one of the first places to serve up free peanuts to patrons while they wait and double pizzas. Bill's is located right on historic US Highway 45 which dates back to the same time as Route 66.

The back parking lot overlooks Diamond Lake and the decor is definitely North Woods Resort with heavy beams and lots of stuffed animals around, including the moose who has its antlers decorated every Christmas time.

I hadn't been here for years, but it was crowded as-ever. Definitely a unique place to check out if you ever come through town. Bill's is also the father of at least two other popular pizza places in Lake County. The owners of JJ Twigg's in Wauconda and Tammy's in Spring Grove got their pizza-making knowledge from Bill's.

A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY

I couldn't exactly remember where the library was, but my buddy Kip said he knew exactly where it was, so I followed him out of the parking lot. As it turns out, he didn't know where it was. He thought it was in Fremont Center, a small town about ten miles away. When he finally stopped, I took the lead, then went the wrong way on Il-176, almost to Wauconda when we came to Fairfield Road, one of the nicest rides in the Chicagoland area. This was right by the Lake County Discovery Museum which is the home of the fantastic Curt Teich Postcard Collection.

Backtracked 176 to Mundelein and found the library. It is named the Fremont Library because it serves the whole of Fremont Township in which Mundelein is located. We finally got to the room with the overflow crowd just as Dave was starting his presentation.

Fun and Games in Mundeleim, or, as My Kids in Class Used to Spell It, Mundalion. --RoadDog